Rega Lifney Shabbat...

Shalom All,

Pesach is all about telling the story. Keeping the narrative alive. Making

sure that our children know both the details and the value of telling them,

year after year, so they will do so as well. Vehigadeta Lebincha.

The story isn't just about facts. More than anything, it's about values,

meanings and concepts. About the value of freedom. About the meaning of

leadership. About the concept of Jewish peoplehood.

We take much pride in our Jewish values. They are so important to us, that

throughout history we have always tried to use them as a guiding light in

large matters as well as small. Consider this: What do Jewish values have to

do with machine-made Matzos?

In the 19th century, the first automated machines for making matzos were

invented. They made the whole ordeal of making Matzos much easier and a

whole lot cheaper. They also helped ensure that the Matzos were safe from

becoming Hametz, and thereby disqualified for use during Pesach.

Yet the Rabbis were very reluctant to "Kosherize" these Matzos.

The reason was not technological, as some might think. Nor did it have

anything to do with Kosher restrictions per se. It had to do with Jewish

values: the value of helping the poor.

The hand-made matzos were made by the poor and needy Jews in the

communities, and it was their main way of making a living before the

holiday. Using the machines meant that these Jews would be left without

work, hence without money to prepare the holiday properly. The debate was -

how to make sure that these poor people don't remain without a living? Do we

give them the supplies they need for the holiday? Or is there another

solution?

After some creative thinking, the Rabbis decided they would allow the

Machine-made Matzos to become "kosher" only gradually, during several years,

enabling the poor matzos bakers the time they needed to develop other lines

of work toward the holiday, thus helping them continue to make an honest and

honorable living.

Our Rabbis understood, even back in the 19th century, that the value of

helping the poor is best done by means of empowerment, by developing ways of

giving fishing rods instead of just fish - or, in this case, Matzos...

A lesson to learn, remember and implement.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,

Liat